Alright, lets clear this up a little. There is a difference between a clique and a friend group. In these churches, almost all the youth have a friend group of some sort. Obviously some more than others. Whether it is the guys you went to grade school with or the ones you happened to make at bible school, these friend groups usually form based on proximity. The barrier to entry into these friend groups is low. The activities that these friend groups participate in are largely shaped by how conservative the youth’s family is within the church. Normal activities for a friend group are calling each other in the evenings, hanging out at singings, maybe going out to eat, etc. Some friend groups would not go out to eat, others might go on a weekend camping trip (the range is fairly broad). Another general rule of thumb is that genders do not mix when it is simply a friend group.cmbl wrote:I guess I identified "no youth groups" with the principle of expecting young people to be serious-minded and responsible. But if "no youth groups" encourages cliques, to what extent do Eastern's cliques undermine this principle? Are the popular cliques always liberal?
Now cliques are another story. I would describe a clique as a group of people (youth in this case) who form a fairly closed off friend group. While proximity is somewhat important, it is one’s reputation which determines if you can be a part of the clique. Every clique which I have seen in these circles is formed by the most liberal youth. Most in cliques would have smartphones, listen to music, watch videos, be more comfortable interacting with the opposite gender, etc. The ministry will openly preach against these things, but the youth are going to be youth. From my observations, most of these youth eventually leave and join a “defector” church. In these settings, technology is not as limited, gender interaction is not as strict, ministerial power is weaker, youth groups are allowed, etc.
As to how much eastern is effected by cliques, it is up for debate. Some argue that the youth in cliques were going to leave anyway, so it did not impact the retention rate. Others contest that they cause "deviant" behavior. If you look at the number of youth who leave eastern and other ultra-conservative groups, you can see that the number is significantly larger than churches "downstream". It is partly for this reason that I highly doubt cliques are what is causing the issue of youth leaving.
On a similar matter, from my experience, I have found that cliques form no matter how conservative the church. I believe that churches are best off when they encourage youth groups and church-sponsored activities. Youth groups help break down the barriers between the most conservative and most liberal within the church. It is not a perfect system, but it is probably the best system when it comes to inclusion and accountability.
